Read Novel Full Chapter 2081: Adrian of the Human Race!
Chapter 2081: Adrian of the Human Race!
Rank 4 was Adrian of the Human Race.
Max stared at the words for a moment. "The Human Race?"
This genuinely caught him off guard.
He had never looked down on humans since once a human himself. He had already met several in the Godslayer’s Pilgrimage, and some of them were clearly talented. Still, within the hierarchy of the Five Universes, humans were generally considered a lesser race descended from the Primordials.
They lacked the natural Primordial Bloodline, and they didn’t have the overwhelming bodies of the Dragon Race. They also weren’t born with the elemental affinity of the Spirit Race, the natural holy power of the angels, or the corrupted bloodlines of the devils.
Yet a human had reached fourth place on this list, which meant Adrian had surpassed almost every recorded Primordial, dragon, angel, spirit, and devil who had ever cleared all ten shadows.
Max frowned. "I’ve never heard of anyone named Adrian."
That was the strangest part. If Adrian had been talented enough to rank among the top five geniuses in the history of the Ten Shadows Trial, Max should have come across his name somewhere in the Divine Realm.
Someone with that kind of talent shouldn’t have been obscure. There should have been legends, records, and stories about him, and at the very least, the major powers of the Divine Realm should have known who he was.
Yet the name meant nothing to Max.
’Either he lived in an era far removed from mine, or there’s more to who he was.’
Max kept that thought in the back of his mind and let his eyes move further down the list.
Rank 5 was Lumian of the Primordial Race, and right after him came Patrick of the Spirit Race.
Max slowly looked over the remaining entries. Every name represented someone extraordinary, and every position carried the weight of an achievement that countless geniuses had attempted and failed.
After studying the rankings for a while, he finally turned his attention back to the enormous door at the far end of the monolith. Even so, the list had left him with one more question. He already understood what the twenty-three names meant, but he still didn’t know how they were ranked.
At first glance, he had assumed the order reflected strength. Perhaps it was based on how difficult each person’s tenth shadow had been, how quickly they had cleared the trial, or how overwhelming their final performance was. The longer he looked at the names, though, the less sure he became.
His gaze drifted to the participants nearby.
Not far from him stood a young Spirit Race genius at the 2nd level of the Divine Lord Realm. His skin had a faint bluish glow, and translucent patterns resembling flowing water moved across his arms. Long pale hair rested on his shoulders, and small motes of light drifted around him whenever he moved.
Max walked over to him. "Mind if I ask you something?"
The Spirit Race genius turned and looked him over from head to toe. He noticed Max’s Primordial aura first, and then his cultivation realm, which was only the 1st level of the Law Manifestation Realm. A faint trace of confusion appeared in his eyes, and it was obvious he didn’t recognize Max.
That wasn’t too surprising. This Spirit Race genius had most likely been inside the Ten Shadows Trial when Max fought Greyjin and became the center of attention in Bloodstone City, or he might simply have come from a different city.
News traveled quickly in the outer layer, but not everyone heard everything right away, especially people who spent long stretches inside trials.
After giving Max another curious look, he replied, "What do you want to know?"
Max pointed at the enormous list floating above them. "How are those names ranked?"
The young spirit glanced upward, and his expression turned a little amused. "You thought they were ranked by strength?"
Max nodded once. "I figured it was something like that."
"That’s what most newcomers think at first," the Spirit Race genius said. "But no, the list is ordered by recency."
Max’s brows lifted slightly. "Recency?"
"Yes." The spirit nodded. "The higher someone’s name is, the more recently they cleared all ten shadows."
Max looked back up at the list, and that one fact changed everything. The first rank didn’t necessarily belong to the strongest person who had ever completed the Ten Shadows Trial. It simply belonged to the most recent one.
"Every time someone clears the tenth shadow," the Spirit Race genius went on, "their name gets added to the top, and everyone else moves down a spot."
Max’s gaze returned to Stella’s name. "So Stella was the last person to clear all ten?"
The spirit nodded. "About a year ago."
Max’s eyes narrowed slightly. Only a year meant Stella wasn’t some ancient genius from an era long buried in history. She was recent, and she might even still be somewhere inside the Godslayer’s Pilgrimage.
The Spirit Race genius seemed to notice his interest, and he kept talking. "You weren’t around back then, so you probably can’t imagine how much noise she made."
His expression grew more animated. "When Stella entered the Ten Shadows Trial, most people already knew she was talented. She was from the Angel Race, and her name had been making the rounds in several outer-layer cities even before she tried the trial."
He paused. "But nobody expected what happened next."
He looked back toward the top of the list. "She got through the first few shadows quickly, and that wasn’t unusual. Then she cleared the seventh, and people started paying attention. When she cleared the eighth, the news really began to spread."
His tone turned more serious. "By the time she went into the ninth shadow, people from every city were already showing up just to watch the records update."
Max listened quietly.
"You have to understand something," the Spirit Race genius continued. "Clearing the eighth shadow already puts someone among the best newcomers of their generation, and clearing the ninth makes them someone every major force in the outer layer wants to know about."
He looked at Stella’s name again. "But when she beat the ninth shadow and went into the tenth, the whole atmosphere around the trial changed."
The spirit smiled faintly. "People stopped treating it like just another trial attempt. They started treating it like an event."
Max’s interest grew. "What happened after that?"